Simon Holmes claims staff refused to let his wife fly because she was 32 weeks pregnant, and when the couple pleaded for leniency they threatened to call security

A man claims his pregnant wife was threatened with removal by Ryanair staff who refused to let her fly.

Simon Holmes said workers would not let the mum of his two children onto the plane as she was 32 weeks pregnant – despite having flown at 30 weeks.

They then threatened security would remove the family when he pleaded for leniency as his daughters Ruby, four, and 18-month-old Isla burst into tears.

Simon said 31-year-old Fiona was not asked for a letter confirming she was fit to fly when they left from Dublin on July 5.

When they tried to fly back from London Gatwick after visiting his parents on the Isle of Wight last Wednesday, he added it was the first time they knew the policy applied to pregnancies over 28 weeks.

Simon, 38, said: “They apologised for their mistake on the way out, but they said we had to go to A&E to get hold of one [letter] before they’d let us fly back.”

Ryanair

Staff were unsympathetic, he claimed, and would not help them walk the three quarters of a mile back to security. House husband Simon added: “They just abandoned us. They told us we had to take public transport, but they would not confirm whether we would even be able to get one of the letters when we arrived.

“They just told us to walk and threatened us with security if we did not leave.”

Medics eventually told Simon and Fiona they could not be given a “fit to fly” letter by anyone other than their GP in Menlough, Co Galway. A non-Ryanair official then helped secure the confirmation she was fit to fly by email, meaning the family was let onto another flight hours later.

A spokeswoman for the airline said: “Ryanair apologises for any inconvenience caused. However, as stated in our terms and conditions agreed to at the time of booking, it is the responsibility of each customer [and not the airline] to ensure they have the necessary documentation, where relevant, stating they are fit to fly.

“In this case, the customer did not have the necessary documentation. Once the customer provided this documentation, they were transferred free of charge onto the next available flight.”